When To Choose Steel or Stainless Steel Tubes and Fins
There are times when steel and/or stainless steel are the best choice for your tubes and fins. Let me break it down to provide a better understanding of when steel or stainless steel would be a better choice than copper or aluminum for your chilled water coil, hot water coil or steam coil.
Tubes come in a variety of materials, including copper, aluminum, steel, and stainless steel. The material chosen for tubes depends on several factors:• The corrosive properties of the steam or liquid travelling through the coils• The corrosive properties of the external environment• Steam pressure• Piping, trapping and venting needs• Installation and service requirements• The budget for the project
Steel and stainless steel are both good options when the steam pressure is too high for copper. Steel or stainless steel tubes should also be used when certain types of internal or external corrosion are an issue.
Since fins are responsible for most of the heat transfer in your coils, they also come in a variety of materials, including copper, aluminum, steel and stainless steel. The material chosen for fins also depends on several factors:• Desired heat transfer levels• Compatibility with air, gasses or particulates passing over fins• Compatibility with other materials used in the coils• Installation and service requirements• The budget for the project
Copper fins offer the best heat transfer, while aluminum fins offer good value. Steel fins reduce heat transfer compared to aluminum fins. Compared to both aluminum and steel, stainless steel fins significantly reduce heat transfer.
You need to make sure the materials chosen for tubes, fins and other parts of the coil are compatible. When dissimilar metals, like copper tubes and aluminum fins, are used together, galvanic corrosion occurs. How quickly galvanic corrosion starts is based on variables like electrolyte conductivity, the amount of oxygen present, and the relative surface size of each metal.
At Emergent Coils, we help you select the best materials for your coils. If you are unsure whether steel or stainless steel tubes and fins are right for your project, give us a call at 855-Coil-Now.